Sunday, April 6, 2014

My, how time flies when you’re doin’ stuff and thangs like Rick Grimes! Here almost two weeks have gone by, and I haven’t written one word here. Nothing major has been happening. I’ve been healing up from my abdominal hematoma and going through some blood work because my doctor wanted to check for any clotting disorders. I’m not overly worried about that; clotting disorders don’t run in my family, and I’m not a bleeder. It hasn’t been too much of a hassle, although I wasn’t real pleased with my service at my former place of employment. It was unpleasant enough (they had to stick me three times, and I have great veins) that I sent an email to the VP who runs lab operations, my former head honcho boss. I wasn’t mean about it, but it really was a quality issue, and I believe she’ll address the problem. I’ve gone back to working out, and I should be able to start lifting weights again...I’ll try that tomorrow. As you can imagine, I was all wigged out and excited about the season finale of “The Walking Dead.” Some people seemed to be disappointed by it, but I loved it. Badass Rick is back, and I think he’s going to be more badass than he ever was. October seems like it’s a long way away!I went to our local library with Cousin Shane and my sister Diana to do some research on a family tragedy from almost fifty years ago. One of our cousins was brutally murdered by a local cop, and although Diana remembers it well, Shane and I were quite young when it happened and we only know what little we’ve read in some saved newspaper clippings or have been told by family members. It was very sobering to page through the microfilm and see the story unfold as it happened. It was the frontpage headline the day after it happened, and we all got pretty quiet as we read through these stories. We also are thinking about contacting the county where the trial happened and seeing if we can get the trial records. We figure those are public record, so I wouldn’t think it would be a problem. I wonder if you can get that stuff digitally now? No idea, but we do want to learn more about it. Ken was on a business trip for the latter half of the week, and I had lunch with Shane and Matt one day, and dinner with my friend Dan from college one evening. Sheeba has kept me good company at home, and I’m never lonely with books and movies. Ahhh, books...mostly I’ve been lost in Bookland. I got through the third book in the Strain trilogy, although it was a struggle. I liked the first two books quite a bit, but was disappointed in the third one. But since it’s a trilogy, you kind of have to finish it, right? Just like you have to watch the third Godfather movie although it is nothing compared to the first two. Then I picked From Here to Eternity back up. It’s part of the Modern Library Top 100 list, and I got a little over halfway through it last year before I put it down for more fun, summer-type reads. It’s really a slog, but it’s good enough that I DO want to finish it. Interesting characters in interesting situations, if sometimes the writing gets excessively wordy. It’s almost 900 pages, so progress is slow. This will sound terrible, but I’m wishing that Pearl Harbor would hurry up and happen, because I want to see how these characters react to it. I also need to see the entire movie (I’ve only seen parts of it), because I see that Montgomery Clift plays one of the best characters, Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt, AKA Prew. I want to get through it soon, because I have lots of good books to read, including the next one on the ML List, Death Comes for the Archbishop.Also speaking of books, I ordered a new Kindle, a Paperwhite. My Kindle Keyboard hasn’t crapped out, and I’m still using it and it’s been a good and faithful companion, but the battery is starting to drain much more quickly. Amazon was offering a deal where you could pay for it over about four months with no interest, so that was pretty much impossible to pass up, especially since I knew I was going to have to order one soon, anyway. I’ve had my eye on the Paperwhite for a while, so I went ahead and ordered it. It seems easy to navigate, and I love the slightly backlit screen. It’s still very legible in the sun, so I’m quite pleased with it. I’m looking forward to reading my first book on it!Let’s see...we’ve got a couple of Broadway shows coming up at the Morris, tickets to see Presidents of the United States of America with Shane and Matt in Indy in June, and our annual Florida vegecation in July. We’ll fit some minor league baseball games in there, and just plan on enjoying the summer. One of the best things about it will be the warmth. Man, it’s been a long winter for so many of us. We’re usually greening up nicely by now, but all the snow just recently melted. I think it’s safe to say that we’re all more than ready for warm weather and some greenery!I know this wasn’t a super exciting entry. Just wanted to catch up, and I’ll try to bring some fireworks next time. You know I’ve still got fireworks…! I just need to work up some good outrage about something. It’s only a matter of time.

the older i get, the less time i will spend on a boring book.....on average, i start at least 2 books a week but usually they may both go back to library not even half read.....i only list books i have read in their entirety on shelfari. Rick LOVES movies but i rarely have the patience or time to sit through an entire movie but lately i have tried to sit and enjoy them. I have no time in my life to get a damn thing done anymore. We will become grandparents in late June. Chad's girlfriend is pregnant with his first child, a boy. I assume i will have even less time then to get anything done and back i go to the days of shitty Disney kid shows and Sponge Bob and Barney......this may be the calm before the storm. This winter was the 4th worst winter ever on record for Ohio but for me, it was the WORST ever....the Blizzard of '78 was the other one everyone still talks about but i was 9 and was not responsible for it all back then like now. Thank goodness it is past us. I went out today and took loads of pics on a new camera i got...the first really nice camera i have ever had...but i do not have a PC or laptop working correctly so i can not load them online till Cary comes from Cincy and helps! It is a bitch to be so dumb about computers and stuff. I hope i do not have to buy a new lap top...this desk top i am on is a total POS....i love any entry you put up and especially any about books. I do not like Nooks or Kindles....it must be a real book in my hand but then again, i would probably never learn how to use the damn Kindle thingie correctly anyway. lol Love you!!

It is sad and somewhat shocking to hear about such authorative abuse visited upon your family... it is something that most minority folks are familiar with and hope to avoid, but the the truth is that it almost always depends on the whims of those who choose to oppress the powerless...

Glad that the weather has finally begun to change... Omaha is, IMO, a very scenic town and I look forward to exploring around and outside of the city limits this year..!

Wonder what the lab screwed up on... hope that the results come in with good news and that you guys have an awesome summer..!

This was a very nice entry! Glad you've been enjoying yourself. You know I honestly can't remember whether I ever read From Here to Eternity. Might have to give it a try. So are you reading all the books from the ML list?